SO wants new cameras ASAP

By Tracy R. Mesler

MONTAGUE – Rather than wait for the start of the next budget on Oct. 1, Sheriff Marshall Thomas and Chief Deputy Sheriff Jack Lawson proposed the county commissioners allow the Sheriff’s Department to use unused salaries to purchase new dash, car and body cameras for the department.

Sheriff Thomas had requested new cameras as the current equipment has some age on it and is becoming unreliable.

District Attorney Casey Polhemus and County Attorney Clay Riddle both rely on the video evidence to expedite criminal cases.

The commissioners court is currently working on the proposed budget for fiscal year 2019-20, which begins Oct. 1.

Last month Sheriff Thomas requested the court budget $75,000 for the purchase of new cameras as part of that budget.

Monday the two men pointed out that the department has been operating three hands short for much of the year. In fact, to date, the department has $177,000 in unused salary, Medicare and federal withholding expenditures because of the three vacancies.

To learn more about the request, see this week’s edition of The Nocona News available on line at www.noconanews.net, or on your local news stands.